My return to Ottawa..I did not go to sleep until 4:00am last nite, I went to bed at 12:00/midnite but could not go to sleep.That has been my sleeping pattern for the last 3 or 4 nites now... I go to bed at about 12:00am/midnite, but do not go to sleep until about 4:00am in the morning...I had not finished packing but was too tired to pack anymore... I am leaving a lot of my stuff here because I am returning to San Miguel in the Fall... I live in San Miguel, Mexico now, not Ottawa, Canada and am just visiting Ottawa...I planned on getting up at 5:00am and finish my packing... My taxi was scheduled to arrive at 6:00am..Unfortunately, I slept in until 5:45am - the alarm on my clock radio did not go off at 5:00am like it was supposed to... I think that I got the am's and pm's on my clock radio mixed-up....And wouldn't you know it - When I am early, the Mexicans are always late... But if I am late, the Mexicans are always early...The taxi was right on time (6:00am), or ealier..

I was not ready.. I had not packed... I was not packed....The taxi driver had one other taxi passenger pickup in San Miguel for the Mexico City airport..I told/asked him to pick up the other passenger first and then come back and pick me up and that I would be packed and ready by then... He was back at 6:15am and very impatient to go...I was not packed yet, I was not ready yet - I was not ready until 7:00am...I left my place in a complete shambles, with a very, very, very, very disorganized and dishevelled feeling... Nothing to eat, didn't get to brush my teeth, didn't get to wash my face or shower, or comb my hair (nothing new there)... What was I leaving behind that I should be taking????.. Food left on the kitchen counter and in the refrigerator. I left my place in a real mess... A maid will be in later in the week to take care of things... I may email her with some instructions....The dining room table is completely covered with my stuff... My stuff is all over the dining room, the living room and the kitchen.... My stuff that I am leaving in San Miguel at my place.....

It is about 400++ kilometers to the Mexico City airport... about a 4 hour drive.....The taxi fare is $72 each if there is two passengers - otherwise it would be $142...In that case I would have taken the alternative, that is also available if there is no second passenger..... a taxi to the Queretaro Bus Station (60 kilometers away) and the bus to the Mexico City airport for a total price of $65.... Air Canada fare from Mexico City to Toronto/Ottawa was $350, plus $25 to check my second suitcase (after that is $100 per suitcase).... I could have done it with one bag if I had, had time to pack properly..... maybe/maybe not............There are other airports closer to San Miguel - Queretaro (about 60 kilometers), Leon (about 150 kilometers).. However, there are no direct flights to Canada from these airports... Which means that you have to land in the USA and put up with the US Immigration/Customs and Border Services and put up with all of their crap (which is not very pleasant)... Border Services is there to protect the USA, all Americans and the American way of life, and they take this very seriously - they must have daily motivational talks to keep them revved-up the way that they are revved-up.. It just is not worth it to go through the USA... It is much better to fly right over the USA and avoid it completely....

I ate some food in the taxi (it is a van) that I had brought along with me on the 4 hour ride to the Mexico City airport...

Anyway - I have to go now - because of other pressing matters - and I will continue this saga a little bit later in a following travelogue blog.........